In the spring of 1919, Klee rented a large studio in the Schloss Suresnes, a neglected eighteenth-century palace in Schwabing, Munich's artists' quarter. According to Klee's son Felix, Suresnes, its park, and the nearby Englischer Garten served as inspiration for this watercolor. It depicts Ionic columns, a large chestnut leaf, a thin black cross, a small red pavilion, and a boat on the River Isar, which flows through Munich.